Device in capping machines



Dec. 20, 1938. J. E. JONSSONY I DEYICE IN CAP PING MACHINES Filed June'z, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 1 3531f, Emor jonss o n \N VENTOQ {g ATT 20, 1938- J. E. JONSSON DEVICE IN CAPPING MACHINES Filed June 2, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NYENTOE Dec. 20,1938. v ,1. E. JONSSON 2,140,536 DEVICE IN CAPPING MACHINE S Filed June 2, 1957 a Sheets-Sheet s X1 I. w I MJ 50 3259 EIAQY' rcnsspn yuvim'rog a g a My Patented Dec. 20, 1938 'Uilli TE' DFS13 1 Es i PM ENT F rice 1 I JosetEinar ;Jonsson-,- Linkoping, Sweden Application JuneZ, 1937, Serial No. 145,925-

In AuStriaJuneI G, 1936 .11 l

Claims. .,.(01. 226-85) The present invention relates --to machines for capping containers; such as bottles 01 various kinds, whichmachines are provided with one 'or more capping heads movable up and down relas tively to the container and'within' certain limits.

head according to the bottle heights, said adjust- :0 ment taking place completelyautomatically. -:By

.this fine adjustmentthe advantages of the simplified construction of the head maybe utilized in such a manner that the machine becomes rather insensible to bottle height T variations and will satisfyvery high demands-on'quick and efiective capping By the invention the machine will be independent of springspreviously-used for'pr0-'- viding for a self-adjustment" according -to the bottle height variations.

trated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic'al side viewof the 1 machine; in its-simplest embodiment.

Fig. '2 shows, on a larger scale a vertical section parts in different working end of a-bar 4', which is adapted to be raised and 1 lowered in the column 2. The part 6 of the easing -13 rests on a shoulder of the bar 4 the narrower end of which is provided with threads on to which securing nuts 5-are screwed. "The col- One object of the-invention is to simplify the construction-of the capping "head; and 'a'nother object is to provide a fine-adjustmentof the umn 2 carries an arm 1' for the container support 8 Which'isadapted to be fixed at different heights by means of a control and fixing screw 9. The

bar-4'with the casing 13 is held in its upper positionby means of a spring 3| attached to the base Q I and-is lowered into working position by means of a foot lever pivoted in the base I,- at I l and connectedwith the bar 4', at l2.

Thecapping head 3 has cylindrical shape and extends into the casing l3, in which it is displaceable in guides I4, l5. Into the covering plate l5a of the head 3; which plate is located in the guide I5 (FigureZ), there is screwed a bolt l6, which Constructional forms of this invention-are illusis guided vertically in an adjustable nut l6a screwed into the casing l3. In inoperative position the head '3, by means of the bolt l6, hangs by the casing I3'by means of the stop nut I1, which is screwed on to the free end of the bolt l6 and-which rests against the guiding nut l6a be- The upper termination of thefore operation. casing constitutes an unscrewable protecting capsule' l6b.- In the lower portion of the capping Figa-3a shows a verticalsection of the lower portion of the working head at an angle of 90 tothe corresponding portion in Fig. 2 and with theworking' parts in different workin'g'positions.

Figure 4. shows another embodiment of the" larger scale with the working partszin difier'ent positions,Figures-' 5 and 6 being:vertioalsections-- perpendicularly to the viewin Figure'4.

' Figure 7 is aside. view of theupper part of a third embodiment of the machine, and

head there is provided. as usual, a pressing member'or plunger l8, which is movable up and down. Between its lower end 'and' an unscrewable ring l9 theusual elastic'ring [9a is arranged, which is pressed around the cap. In a bore of the plunger l8 there is provided a pressing member or plunger 20, which exerts the required tightening pressure of the cap against the mouth of the container in the working position. In the plunger l8 there is a radialslot 2| for a bolt 22, which is mounted in the head-'3 andto which the plunger is attachedp The'plunger I8 is displaceable independentlyof the head 3 and correspondingly V Figures 8, 9 and 10 on alarger scale. show .de-

tails-ofthei last mentioned embodiment-..

YIII' Of Figure 7, and

Figure 9-is;a*section, viewed from'above, on the Figure' 8-"is a'vertical section on the line VIII- Figure 10 is asection, viewedfrom above n the i=line.X.-X of Figure 7,1and

Figures. 11, 12and 13 showthe samesectional to the play between the bolt 22 'andthe slot 2|. Against the upper end of the plunger l8 there rest the lever arms 23, one for each joint lever. The upper arms 24 of the joint levers are pivoted on pins 25 secured in the upper part of the head 3. Theupper and lower arms 23 and 24 of each joint=lever are united by the joints 26. In the casing of the capping head at places opposite to each other there are mounted two stops 2''.

Whichare formed as rollers and which cooperate with'theupper arms 24 of the joint levers and 1 extend into,their paths, respectively. When the head;3:hangs:byjthe;nut.Ilia (Figure 2) there is a i s. -m ounted in a casing provided-.at the.upper ,.1

certain play'betw'eenthe' rollers 21 and thearms 24 of.theejointrlevers.v;

The device operates as follows. When a bottle 29 placed on the support 8 is to be capped the casing I3 and also the head 3 are moved down- 7 wards by lowering the bar 4 by means. of the foot lever during which operation the plunger 20 strikes against the bottle head and stops. The casing I3, however, continues downwards, during which movement the spring 36, which rests against the head 3 and against the nut 16a, contracts and the pressure of the plunger 20 against the top of the cap cover increases in a corresponding degree. Finally, the rollers 21 come into contact with the arms 24 and press the latter inwards (against each other) by which the plunger I 8 is pressed downwards. the ring. l9a

is compressed and the bottle cap is deformed and fixed. Upon release of the foot lever the moved parts of the machine and of the cappinghead return to their initial positions under the action of the springs 30, 3|. 7

By means of the described capping head construction it ispossible to vary the capping pressure at will and in spite of this to keep the tightening. pressure of the cap against the mouth of the bottle relatively small, so that there is no risk of crushing the neck of the bottle. Instead of moving the casing the support 8 may be moved up and down during the capping operation. Thus, the casing I3 is stationary. Likewise, the capping heads, both in bottle capping machines for manual operation and in automatically working machines with a plurality of heads, may be replaced by the head according to this invention.

The capping head hereinbefore described and others of the same type, in which the tightening and fixing pressure is effected by the movement of the head relatively to the container to be capped, should be equipped with a device for preliminary or coarse adjustment as well as for fine adjustment of the container and the head in vertical direction in relation to each other.

According to this invention the fine adjustment takes place automatically and the principle. of this fine adjustment or control in respect of the bottle heights is based upon the fact that the bar 4 is movable relatively to the casing l3 but may be coupled with the latter, so that the length of stroke of the casing, when the bar is moved shoulder 3 on the casing l3, which sleeve or shoulder surrounds the bar, is movable along the bar, and in openings 34 in the walls of the sleeve there are mounted catches35, each of which is able to engage its row of teeth 36 on the bar.

When the engagement takes place the casing i3 is locked to the bar'and has to move with the same as long as the engagement continues.

According to Figures 4-7 there are, on the bar 4 below the sleeve 6, mounted angular members 31 in a ring 38, which is attached to the bar, for

example, by means of a cross pin 39' (an adjusting screwmay also be used). ary column 2 there are mounted pins 40, one right below each angular member 31, and these pins In both of the embodiments the sleeve or In the station are easily movable in their holes but they are each carried by a spring 4|, which rests on the column and on which the pin rests in turn by means of a head 43.

The device operates ,as follows;

In the position shown in Figures 4 and the casing l3 and the sleeve 6 rest against the ring 38. When the bar 4 is moved downwards the parts 3, l3 and 6, by their gravity, follow until the head 3 stops by striking against the bottle 29 placed on the support 8. During the continued movement of the. bar the angular members; hit the pins 40,

are swrung to the position shown in Figure 6, by which they move the catches into engagement with the teeth 36 thereby locking the sleeve 6 to the bar 4, so that the amount of power required for the subsequent capping operation may be transmitted to the head 3. Thus, during the lower part of the stroke of the bar 4 (from the moment when the catches engage) the capping for all various kinds of containers takes place within the same height series, i. e. during this part first the tightening pressure is effected and then the fixing pressure. The whole length of stroke of the bar is indicated by a and the capping move ment by b. The pins it have been adjusted once for all and only have to yield the distance 19. When the foot lever I0 is released the bar 4 returns to the initial position by action of the spring 3| When during this movement the ring 38 hits the sleeve 6, the angular members 3'! are no longer in contact with the pins 40, they have fallen back and the sleeve 6 and the head 3 have then again been disconnected from the bar 4, i. e. the parts now reassume the position shown in Figures 4 and 5. The preliminary or coarse adjustment for a certain bottle height series is done by means of the bottle support 8.

In the embodiment according to Figure '7 the stroke of the bar 4, indicated by c, is longer than that shown in Figure 4, due to the'fact that the caps are preferably supplied automatically in this machine. The capping movement b is the same as in thepreceding embodiment. The catches are in this embodiment actuated by oblique surfaces ifia of the levers 45 each located on a turning shaft 41, which is mounted in the frame 45 of the machine (the said frame has another shape than that in Figures 4-6, but is shown only in part, since it does not form any part of the object of the invention). The shafts 41 cannot be displaced axially. The levers 46.and the shafts 4! are united by means of a key-connection 44 so that the former are able to participate in'the movement of the sleeve 6 and to be turned'by the shafts 41. Fixed'on the bar 4 there is a guide cam 49, adapted to cooperate with a member 50, which by means of joint levers 51 is united with an arm 52 on each shaft 41. a i

The device operates as follows: In inoperative position the catches 35, the levers 45 and the member 5i) are located as shown in Figures 7-10.

When during the downward movement of the bar 4 the capping is to begin the member 5|] is moved aside by the cam 69, the shafts 41 are turned, the arms 45 are swung in below the outer. ends of the catches 35 and during the continued downward movement of the bar the catches are brought into engagement with the teeth 33, the members 36, 47,. 50, 5!, 52 now assume the positions shown in Figures- 11-13, the capping being efiected in the manner already described. -When thebar 4 returnsand'the cam 49 successively ceases to act by means of a spring 54, acting on the arms 46 asis shown in Figure 9.

The preliminary or coarse adjustment of the head 3 in this embodiment is effected by moving the ring 38 along the bar 4. InFigure '7 the bar 4 is presupposed to receive its motion bytmechanical power.

Having now described my invention, what I f claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 10 ent is:

1. In a capping headfor applying caps to bottles, the combination of a casing, a supporting member movable in said casingand carrying a movable pressure block, means controlled by said pressure block to engage and'deform the skirt of V the bottle cap about the mouth of a bottle to seal 'the' same, a pair of pivoted joint levers, each comprising an upper and a lower link, said joint ,levers being carried by the supporting member 20.

' sure block, and stops arranged in the casing and andada-pted to transmit pressure to said presin the paths of movement of the upper links of said pair, whereby relative movement between said supporting member and joint levers and said stops will cause the latter to engage the said upper links and cause the pressure block to move in thecapping direction to seal a cap.

2. A capping head for applying caps to bottles as claimed in claim 1, including two or more pairs of pivoted links and corresponding shoulders in as claimed in claim 1, in which each pair of links comprises an upper link pivotally mounted in said supporting member and pivotally connected to the upper end of the lower link, each of said upper links being provided with an extension projecting beyondthe pivotal point of the two links to provide a track for the stop in the depressed position of the head. I

5. A capping head, as claimed in claim 1, in

' which the upper end of the casing carries a union having a guide passage to receive the upper end of the supporting member, and a cap carried by the union to provide an extension for the casing and to enclose the upper end of the supporting member. x g JOSEF EINAR JONSSON. 

